Biodiversity Hotspots : New Zealand

Introduction

       Biodiversity is the variety of biological life on Earth; this consists of various micro-organisms, plants and animals, different ecosystems on the planet. This includes coral reefs, forests, and deserts. Biodiversity is made up of 4 different kinds of diversity. According to James Bolger in his article "Four Types of Biodiversity" the different kinds of biodiversity are Species, Genetic, Ecosystem, and Functional. Species diversity is defined as the concentration of species and the variation of said animals in an ecosystem. Genetic diversity is the description of how closely related two species are in a given area. Ecosystem diversity is the number of ecosystems in a given amount of land. Functional diversity can be defined as the way different species behave and interact in an ecosystem. Biodiversity is key to the success of all ecosystems because it allows all species to have an impact. New Zealand has many ecosystems that are high in biodiversity and species richness due to their position on the globe which allows for cold and warm climates.

Background Information

     During World War 1 the soldiers of New Zealand were called Diggers, Pig Islanders, and more before they stuck with Kiwi or Kiwis (Plural) and now they use it for the general population (New Zealand People).  

How To Experience Maori Culture in New Zealand

By Harry Barwick

The natives of New Zealand are called the Maori and they have close ties with the land and sea.

 One of the most stunning biomes that New Zealand has to offer is The Great Barrier Coral reef. This biome is enriched with various distinctive marine species that play a major role in its ecosystem and the net primary productivity of New Zealand marine ecosystems. The Great Barrier Coral reef extends farther than 1,300 miles through the coral sea of northeastern Australia. With that said, the Great  Barrier Coral reef is a biome shared by both New Zealand and Australia alike. This biome consists of 1625 species of fish and 1400 coral reefs species. These stunning species includes, sea urchins, starfish,sea snakes, whales,dolphins and many more.

New Zealand's coral reefs provide food in the form of fish and other aquatic edibles like clams, These are mainly the economic services but it also provides many ecological services like calming the waves that impact the land and reducing the erosion in turn. They also, as previously mentioned harbor massive amounts of life and biodiversity. With high levels of biodiversity come high levels of NPP or Net Primary Productivity.

Great Barrier Reef  FoodWeb, courtesy of  GreatBarrierReef.com.au

Discussion

     The Great Barrier Reef provides the surrounding countries with many ecological and economic services. One ecological service would be providing habitat to many species. The second ecological service that can double as an economic service is that the reefs calm the waves and keep them from eroding the beaches and destroying coastal settlements. The last economic service they provide is ecotourism to countries like Australia and New Zealand.

     The main type of environmental degradation that effects the Great Barrier Reef is the acidification of the ocean due to the increasing CO2 emissions all around the globe. This causes the coral to build slower and degrade over time. This is also a factor in the bleaching of the coral reefs.

     The native people of New Zealand rely on these coral reefs as a source of food and money via fishing. Although, the larger economy of that entire region of Oceania relies on the ecotourism that these reefs bring. According to the Australian Government in 2012 the Great barrier reef brought in $5,677,800 in ecotourism and commercial fishing.

     The functional diversity of the Great Barrier Reef has plummeted because of the new conditions posed to the species by ocean acidification. This caused the functional diversity to fall because only certain species, interacting and behaving in certain ways can survive.

http://www.newheavendiveschool.com/related-news/2015-bad-year-coral-reefs/

     The environmental degradation has affected the species and genetic diversity in much of the same way. The harsher and more hostile conditions mean that all but the most resilient of species have died off or will die off soon. Another cause of this decline was the over fishing in some areas and the coastal development of New Zealand.

     The WWF lists animals like sharks, sea turtles, and some of the coral itself as endangered or threatened by the increasing environmental degradation. They are endangered due to issues like fishing and dumping of chemicals in that part of the ocean.

http://www.drgeorgepc.com/OceanGovernance.html

     The neighboring governments are requiring harsher zoning laws for coastal development. The government in New Zealand has banned dumping right off their coasts and this will drastically improve the state of many of their nearby reefs.

Conclusion

     The coral reefs that make up the Great Barrier Reef are a treasure to the world, housing all kinds of life that is endemic to that area and that is now endangered. They are endangered due to many outdated and/or generally harmful practices that take place in or around the reefs, such as dumping or coastal development. Without our help the Great Barrier Reef is doomed to be nothing more than a graveyard for future generations to wonder and wish. We can all help a little by not driving as much or driving more ecologically safe cars, this would reduce the amount of ocean acidification and would help the coral reefs immeasurably. Thank you.

Works Cited

"An End to Great Barrier Reef Dumping Is Imminent." WorldWildlife.org. World Wildlife Fund, 01 July 2015. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.

"Great Barrier Reef Food Web." Great Barrier Reef Australia. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2015.

Economic Contribution of The Great Barrier Reef. N.p.: Deloitte Access Economics, Mar. 2013. PDF.